MOUNT RAINIER
GEOLOGY & WEATHER
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Glacier Info - Kautz Glacier

NOTE: The data shown here is based on the 2021 glacier update at Mount Rainier, and should be considered the most up-to-date data on glaciers at the park (2023-04-06).

Kautz Glacier
Kautz Glacier is long and fairly narrow as it leads from its snout near Mildred Point to the top of Mount Rainier. The cleaver between the upper part of the Glacier and those to the east is named for Wapowety, the Indian guide of the Kautz Party on its unsuccessful attempt to climb the mountain in July of 1857. (Reese, 2009)

Switch Glacier:

STATISTICS AS OF 2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
Aerial Extent:
0.603 ± 0.034 square miles (1.561 ± 0.088 km2) (Rank: 16 of 29)
Debris Cover - Based on data from 2015 (Beason, 2017):
0.134 ± 0.003 square miles (0.346 ± 0.008 km2) (Rank: 11 of 29)
Estimated Glacier Volume: (See notes below)
0.0123 ± 0.0043 cubic miles (0.0513 ± 0.0180 km3)
Highest Elevation (Head):
14,131 feet (4,307 m)
Lowest Elevation (Terminus):
6,917 feet (2,108 m)
Elevation Range:
7,213 feet (2,199 m)
Length:
2.59 miles (4.17 km)
Average Slope:
29.39°
Average Flow Direction (direction the glacier flows towards):
South southwest (193°)
Glacier Type:
S - Glacier Head Near Summit

CHANGE IN EXTENT, 1896-2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
Units 1896 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
Area, mi2 1.998 0.916 0.792 0.602 0.821 0.622 0.603
Area, km2 5.174 2.373 2.051 1.560 2.125 1.611 1.561
Area Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-1.082 mi2
(-2.801 km2)
-1.206 mi2
(-3.123 km2)
-1.396 mi2
(-3.614 km2)
-1.177 mi2
(-3.049 km2)
-1.376 mi2
(-3.563 km2)
-1.395 mi2
(-3.613 km2)
1913---0.124 mi2
(-0.322 km2)
-0.314 mi2
(-0.813 km2)
-0.096 mi2
(-0.248 km2)
-0.294 mi2
(-0.762 km2)
-0.313 mi2
(-0.812 km2)
1971---0.190 mi2
(-0.491 km2)
0.029 mi2
(0.074 km2)
-0.170 mi2
(-0.440 km2)
-0.189 mi2
(-0.490 km2)
1994--0.218 mi2
(0.565 km2)
0.020 mi2
(0.051 km2)
0.000 mi2
(0.001 km2)
2009---0.199 mi2
(-0.514 km2)
-0.218 mi2
(-0.564 km2)
2015---0.019 mi2
(-0.050 km2)
Percent Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-54.14%-60.36%-69.86%-58.93%-68.87%-69.83%
1913---13.56%-34.27%-10.43%-32.11%-34.21%
1971---23.95%3.62%-21.46%-23.89%
1994--36.25%3.28%0.08%
2009---24.20%-26.55%
2015---3.10%

ESTIMATED CHANGE IN VOLUME, 1896-2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
PLEASE see important notes about this, below...
Glacier-specific Scaling Parameter, c:
0.030303
Units 1896 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
Volume, mi3 0.0634 0.0218 0.0179 0.0123 0.0188 0.0129 0.0123
Volume, km3 0.2644 0.0910 0.0746 0.0513 0.0783 0.0536 0.0513
Volume Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-0.042 mi3
(-0.173 km3)
-0.046 mi3
(-0.190 km3)
-0.051 mi3
(-0.213 km3)
-0.045 mi3
(-0.186 km3)
-0.051 mi3
(-0.211 km3)
-0.051 mi3
(-0.213 km3)
1913---0.004 mi3
(-0.016 km3)
-0.010 mi3
(-0.040 km3)
-0.003 mi3
(-0.013 km3)
-0.009 mi3
(-0.037 km3)
-0.010 mi3
(-0.040 km3)
1971---0.006 mi3
(-0.023 km3)
0.001 mi3
(0.004 km3)
-0.005 mi3
(-0.021 km3)
-0.006 mi3
(-0.023 km3)
1994--0.006 mi3
(0.027 km3)
0.001 mi3
(0.002 km3)
0.000 mi3
(0.000 km3)
2009---0.006 mi3
(-0.025 km3)
-0.006 mi3
(-0.027 km3)
2015---0.001 mi3
(-0.002 km3)
Percent Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-65.58%-71.81%-80.62%-70.40%-79.74%-80.59%
1913---18.08%-43.67%-14.00%-41.13%-43.61%
1971---31.25%4.98%-28.14%-31.17%
1994--52.69%4.52%0.11%
2009---31.55%-34.44%
2015---4.22%
Important comments about the calculation of volume shown here

The calculation of glacial volume shown on this page is based on an analysis of two methods used at Mount Rainier in the past (Driedger and Kennard [1986]; and Nylen [2001]) as well as the most recent literature review for glacier area-volume scaling (Please review Beason et al. [2023] for an in-depth discussion about this issue). It should be noted that simply converting area to volume with an equation is extremely difficult and the values presented here have extremely large error margins (likely ± 35% or more). With that in mind, the values presented here should give you an estimate of the glacial volume and change in volume over time. Please use these data very carefully with those caveats.

The calcuation of the volume is as follows:

\[V_i = {(c_iA_i^{1.375}) + (c_nA_i^{1.36}) \over 2}\]

Where:
\(V_i\) = Average volume for the glacier in question (km3);
\(c_i\) = The glacier-specific scaling parameter (back-calculated from glacier area and volume in 1971 in Driedger and Kennard (1986); Method described in Beason et al. (2023). The value for the Kautz Glacier is 0.030303 (this is also listed above the volume graph);
\(c_n\) = The back-calculated scaling parameter from Nylen (2001) of 0.0255; and
\(A_i\) = The measured volume of the glacier in question (km2).

This is essentially an average of the back-calculated Dreidger and Kennard (1986) and Nylen (2001) methods (D&K is in the first parenthesis; Nylen in the second). For example, for the Kautz Glacier in 2021, you can find the following individual volumes:
Back-calculated Dreidger and Kennard (1986) Method: 0.0134 mi3 (0.0559 km3).
Back-calculated Nylen (2001) Method: 0.0112 mi3 (0.0467 km3).
Average of the two (above equation and values listed for 2021 here): 0.0123 mi3 (0.0513 km3).
Official volume estimate listed above, with error: 0.0123 ± 0.0043 mi3 (0.0513 ± 0.0180 km3).

As you can see, the D&K method tends to produce higher values and Nylen produces lower values; the average of these two methods probably estimates the glacial volume. Until further research is done in this area and we can develop a better method or equation to determine volumes, this is the method we are using to determine glacial volumes. For more information about this method, please read the methods section of Beason et al. (2023).

NOTES:

-- No Notes supplied --

RAW DATA: